"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
-- Sinclair Lewis

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Shouldn't Florida Democrats Have Someone In The Race For Governor Instead Of Just Two Republicans?

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Charlie Crist epitomizes inauthenticy in American politics. And opportunism. You couldn't find a better match for self-proclaimed Florida Democratic Boss Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Crist has no values and no beliefs that will ever get in the way of his business (politics)-- and neither does Wasserman Schultz. She's been busy threatening-- existentially threatening-- every Democrat even thinking about running for governor against supremely unpopular Republican Rick Scott to keep the field clear for Charlie, a former conservative Republican governor, tossed out of the party as it got more extreme and radical, and now calling himself a "Democrat."Democrats can win statewide in Florida-- especially against someone as universally despised as Rick Scott-- without resorting to drafting Republicans. Last year Bill Nelson, a mainstream Democrat crushed Republican Congressman Connie Mack 4,521,534 (55%) to 3,457,254 (42%), winning every single high-population county in the state-- Miami-Dade (63%), Broward (69%), Palm Beach (64%), Orange (63%), Duval (53%), and Hillsborough (59%).Last year the Democrats ran a Crist ally, lifelong Republican Patrick Murphy, against another hated Republican, Allen West. Murphy barely won (166,223-164,316) and, predictably, has been a thorn in the side of the House Democrats, as often as not siding with the GOP on crucial roll calls and working with Republicans to undermine progressive initiatives. Nice to be rid of the clownish Allen West, of course, but Patrick West is far from a Democrat. If anything, Charlie Crist is even further. A hypocritical closet case, his career has been marked by conservative positions across the board. His claim to being a "Democrat" is a lame stump speech he always gives about how couregeous he was to greet President Obama in Fort Meyers after he was eelcted President in 2008 (and winning Florida):

"I told him we would be honored to have him. As soon as I made that decision, I heard from my Republican friends. 'What are you doing?' they said. I said, 'I am going to see the president of the United States of America.' And not only did I go, but he asked me to introduce him and I said it would be an honor. So there I am standing on the podium. I introduced him and guess what, we hugged and I am proud of that. But my former party took so much umbrage to that hug, you couldn't imagine."

Having taken conservative positions in his previous campaigns as a Republican for governor, the U.S. Senate, state Cabinet office and the Florida Senate, Crist remains vulnerable in a Democratic gubernatorial primary to attacks from the left. Crist is certainly looking to correct that and, earlier this month, voiced his strong support for the expansion of Medicaid. But, as this week shows, the field of Crist’s possible Democratic rivals is starting to narrow.On Wednesday, the team behind U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who won a third term in 2012, shot down rumors that their boss would take on Scott in 2014. Media reports appeared this week that former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who once seemed likely to challenge Scott in 2014, is slowing down his operations, leading many of his closest allies to conclude that he will not enter the race. At the end of February, during his State of the City address, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who generated some buzz as a possible Democratic gubernatorial candidate, announced that he was not running for governor in 2014....Crist still faces some foes for the Democratic nomination. Former Florida Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich is actively running but her bid has gained little traction to date. Former state CFO Alex Sink, who was the Democratic candidate who lost to Scott in 2010, is also in the mix but she remains on the political sidelines after the sudden death at the end of last year of her husband Bill McBride, a prominent attorney and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2002.